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Canada Firm on Restoring Relations

Canadian Foreign Minister Stephane Dion said Ottawa is determined to resume ties with Tehran, which were cut four years ago. The top Canadian diplomat made the statement in an interview with BBC before a meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, in New York on Tuesday on the sidelines of the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly. The meeting was the first between the two countries' foreign ministers after the severance of diplomatic relations in 2012, ISNA reported. The two officials discussed bilateral relations, consular affairs and Middle East issues. In September 2012, the former Canadian administration severed diplomatic contacts with Iran, citing, among other pretexts, what it called "continued threats from Iran to Israel". Canada shut its embassy in Tehran and ordered Iranian diplomats to leave the North American country. However, current Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau came to office in the 2015 election on a promise of change, including changes in foreign policy. He has expressed willingness on several occasions to reopen Canada's Embassy in Tehran.